THE FULLNESS OF TIME? PART II

In my previous post I laid out the New Testament’s (NT) usage of the word “TIME” with two Greek words—Chronos and Kairos. Building upon the idea that our word “TIME” can be interpreted as “the fullness of time,” “the set time,” and “the proper time.” The Kairos word can also mean “Conditions are perfect to implement our plan.”

The Chronos/Kairos explanation was necessary to prepare the way for what follows.

To understand where I am going with this, it is imperative that we understand that God is sovereign. But just what does that word actually mean? Let’s take a look.

The dictionary definition for the word “Sovereign” comes in different forms: Among them are: Ruler, Greatest, Superior, Supreme in Power and Authority.

Could we say that God is governing all of His creation independently of any other being or force? After all, God is limited by nothing. Throughout the universe, not one thing happens without God signing off on it.

Here are a few Scripture verses to reinforce my explanation above.

• Psalm 103:19
  • The Lord has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all.
• Jeremiah 32:17
  • Ah, Lord God! It is you who have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you.
• Colossians 1:16
  • For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.
• Revelation 21:6
  • And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment.

I do not intend to make this post about God’s Sovereignty, but I believe it is necessary to include a brief explanation of it.

Clearly, when God made the earth and planted we humans to occupy the planet, He was installing and assembling some of the pieces of His plan. I don’t think that anyone fully knows what God’s plan is for we humans on His planet, although we do understand that His kingdom and His glory on this earth is a big part of His plan.

I am now going to step out on a limb and share with you some of my thoughts about what I think God might be doing, compared to what He has done over time—chronological (Chronos) time that is. Please just take what follows as a possibility and not, by any means, a definitive explanation. After all, none of us know God’s ways, His plans, nor His timing.

So, here goes…

1. It is estimated that approximately 2000 years elapsed between the Creation in the book of Genesis (4004 BC.) and God’s call to Abram of Ur in Genesis 12 (1996 BC).
2. It is estimated that approximately 2000 years elapsed between Abram’s call from God (1996 BC) to Christ’s appearance and Great Commission (29 AD).
3. Today, we are in 2023. If we jump back to Christ’s commissioning of His Church, we arrive at approximately 2000 Years.  

The accuracy of the Old Testament years noted above is not 100% guaranteed. But let us not forget that a great deal of research over these dates has been carried out for a long, long time. With that in mind, let me ask this question. Is there a hidden meaning behind these three groups of 2000 years? Or is this odd configuration merely an iconic coincidence?

On the other hand, perhaps these three groups are a window into God’s orderly, purposeful, mind. Might that be a possibility?

Well, let’s dig a little deeper shall we?

1. First of all, What happened in the first three chapters of Genesis?
   1. God created the earth and placed Adam in charge.
   1. Adam was given the role of governing the earth. God laid out His instructions in Genesis 1:26 thru 28. Check it out for yourself.
   1. But then came the deadly choice that would greatly delay God’s original plan of the human race governing planet earth under His Lordship.
   1. God then made it clear that He would make a way to set things right (Genesis 3: 4-5 & 20).
   1. At that moment, history shifted from what God had in mind for the human race (not that He was caught by surprise, of course). This is our sovereign Lord’s story, not ours. He knew what would come, but He laid out His primary plan for His creation and the human race, knowing that the future He envisioned would not emerge for centuries. God has His own ways and His own timeline.

• Secondly, what happened 2000 years later?
  • First of all, there were several deadly things that occurred after Adam and Eve were thrown out of the Garden of Eden. Cain murdered his brother Abel (Genesis 4 & 5). God called Noah to build an ark to rescue his family and the animals before He sent the flood which took the life of every human soul (Genesis 6). But even after the flood, the worship of false gods God continued and the people were building a tower to make a name for themselves. Well, God of course knew what was going on so He said, “Come, let us go down and there confuse their language, so that they may not understand one another’s speech.” (Genesis 11:5–7). He then scattered them across the globe to form the nations (Genesis 11). And as soon as chapter 11 closes, Genesis 12 emerges and the story of God calling Abram of Ur to become the carrier of God’s plans for His nation to come into play. As the story unfolds, we come to understand that God was creating His nation Israel. From Abram’s tribe, down through the generations, the Messiah that God had mentioned in His conversation with the serpent in Genesis 3, would, in God’s Kairos time, arrive in the flesh in the “little town of Bethlehem.” Could this be a break in chronos time, a break that ushered in a Kairos moment wherein God set His plan of redeeming the human race and restoring fallen man’s governing authority over His earthly creation?
  • Abram (a.k.a. Abraham) and his offspring became God’s patriarchal family whose following of God’s directions would eventually lead (in another Kairos time – 2000 years down the road), to the arrival of God’s remedy to Adam’s fall. History did indeed shift because now the worshippers of Baal, Molech and other evil spirits would have to deal with God’s anointed nation, Israel. These long-in-power false gods would no longer be the only voices shaping the world’s future culture.

• 2000 more years passed and another, history shifting era (Kairos moment) entered God’s story.
  • At last, the Messiah arrived, born to a virgin. From God’s prophetic word to the Serpent in Genesis 3, followed by His promise to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, God’s spoken words found fulfillment in Bethlehem.
  • The Messiah grew up and became a man who called disciples to walk with Him.
  • He taught His Father’s ways, and challenged the religious leaders of His time.
  • He healed the sick, He raised the dead. Many loved Him. Many hated Him.
  • He took our debts to the cross and paid them all in full with His precious blood and then relinquished His earthly life and embraced His death.
  • He was buried but rose from the dead and walked again with His disciples.
  • He commissioned His followers to teach what He taught them and to disciple the nations.
  • Shortly after His final words and ascension He sent the Holy Spirit, and the Church was birthed on the day of Pentecost.

Summary:

In-between these three 2000-years-long periods of chronos time where history rolled on and on, we find three Kairos moments where the course of history was changed.

1. THE DAYS OF CREATION AND SETTING THINGS IN MOTION: God had a plan for the earth and the human race. Man (Adam) would be God’s governmental ambassador-in-charge, carrying the ruling authority that God had given to him to bring God’s kingdom rule and government and God’s glorious presence down from heaven down and into the earth. But Adam chose a different path, tossing away his assignment from God, causing the earth and the human race to take a different course, thus changing what God had in mind for the world’s future.

• ABRAHAM AND THE DAYS OF A NEW NATION BORN: Yes, God tossed Adam and Eve out of the Garden of Eden. And as Chronos time unfolded, the human race got more and more corrupted and wicked. They worshipped, not God, their Creator, but demonic false gods. And so, God sent a flood to destroy all living creatures except for those who were on Noah’s ark. But following the flood, the “small g” god worshipping returned, and God visited Babylon to tear down its tower, to break up the camaraderie of the wicked and to confuse their communication abilities. This was a time when darkness ruled the world. God’s ways were rejected. Other gods were worshipped. Children were sacrificed. But God would not give up. This earth was HIS and the TIME (Kairos) was right to create a nation that would be His. Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were set in their places and the Nation of Israel began to come together. History was shifted again, and God’s enemies now had His nation to contend with. Yes, with a Kairos moment and a myriad of changes, the course of history would change once again.

• A MESSIAH, A KING, HIS KINGDOM, A MESSAGE, A CROSS, A CHURCH: A Kairos moment arrives. The Messiah is born and thirty-three years later His assignment is completed. He now turns to His Church and lays out their assignments from Him.… Go to all the nations. Disciple them. Bring the message of redemption through faith in Christ. Teach them what I have taught you. Take and establish God’s governmental principles to every governmental authority across the globe. Take God’s kingdom to every nook and cranny in all arenas of culture throughout the world. Let every culture in every land, offer praises to God and learn how to reflect His glory. In short, the mission… Jesus was essentially saying, Let’s now change the course of history once again. I’ve just told you what to do.”

• TODAY, KAIROS OR CHRONOS TIME, RENEWED MISSION, VISION: So here we are in 2023. Approximately 2000 years have passed since Christ rose from the dead, left the grave behind, launched His Church, and ascended to His heavenly seat at the right hand of the Father. Are we about to enter a new Kairos moment? Or perhaps that Kairos moment is already under way…? Or perhaps another thing to ask ourselves…”Have we the Church completed the assignments our Lord gave us 2000 years ago?” Perhaps we have in part had some success. But perhaps not as much success that we give ourselves credit for. Is it God’s intention that our progeny, 100 years from now, are able to look back in time (chronos) and say, “How could people 100 years ago possibly have survived the wicked world they lived in without God’s glory and presence,..?” In other words, will the future be filled with God, His glory, His truth, His Word, His power, and will we fulfill our calling to be what God has always wanted His Church to be? Will we (today’s Christian generations who now occupy the earth), deliver what Jesus Christ instructed us to do?  Are we in a Kairos moment now? Are we entering one soon? What will the future look like? Do we have a role to play?

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